


Lunaris’ Protector

by MaritheFangirl



Category: When The Night Comes (Visual Novel)
Genre: Alternate Interpretation, Angst, Gen, Injury, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-14
Updated: 2019-08-14
Packaged: 2020-09-01 01:16:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20249758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaritheFangirl/pseuds/MaritheFangirl
Summary: *SPOILER WARNING FOR CHAPTER NINE*“You do not know me. And apparently I don’t know you either. I thought I did. But you changed. Or got lost along the way. Or maybe this was you all along, and I befriended a lie.”An alternate take on the climax of chapter nine and the events that follow. The Hunter, Rosella, has betrayed the trust of the two people closest to her, and has made choices, despite her good intentions, that have lead to ruin.(I just have a lot of feelings after Chapter Nine, especially with the “Pledging Allegiance” route.)





	Lunaris’ Protector

**Author's Note:**

> Rosella was the character I made for the “non-romance” path, and she was also there to explore the more ‘sterner’ options for dialogue, as well as make what I considered to be the bad or wrong choices.   
From there, in my mind at least, she evolved into this much darker character, and while not out right villainous, definitely corrupted. This is my take on how she might have handled the events of chapter nine and the fall out.

Power.  
That’s what was coursing through her veins.   
She snarled—snarled! Like she was an animal, and it was directed at Harry.   
He had gotten a deep cut with that enchanted blade of his, a wound that ran deep into her torso. She let out a strangled cry and wrenched herself free, cursing him as he got closer.   
Rosella was on the ground, a hand that was shaking clutching at the wound. Her eyes were out of focus and her breathing was rattled.   
Harry stalked forwards, raising up his blade for the kill.  
He was going to kill her, after she had taken his elixir, enhanced herself as a Hunter.  
She had outgrown him, she wanted more than what Harry did.  
It had been such an opportunity, one she couldn’t chance to pass up. That power she felt, so much more than anything she had before.   
The pain, the heartbreak, it would all be worth it because she was finally, finally strong enough.  
This was the only way to protect her home, for Lunaris had become her home. She could stand vigil over it, keeping it safe. That power had been offered to her, how could she possibly refuse?   
Harry had a gleam in his eye as he raised his blade, but Rosella refused to cower or to look away.   
He had made her. And she was stronger than him now.   
The blade came down in an arc and she grabbed his wrist, wrenching him away. She got to her feet, her head rushing as her vision blurred. Pain shot through every part of her body but she refused to give in.  
Harry recovered, and came charging at her, but as she backed away, stumbling, a flash of light arced through the woods.   
August.  
They came from the tree line, their body crackling with unbridled magical power, the air smelling of ozone.   
Rosella was reminded of the night they had fought the Chimera together, August standing as the powerful witch she knew them to be.  
Harry was blasted away with magic, and crashed to the ground with a heavy thud.   
August didn’t spare a glance at her, their attention on Harry alone.  
Rosella spared a glance to the tree line. She knew Piper was fighting Aya, she could still hear the crash of battle. Her senses reached out, enhanced by the new power coursing through her. She could sense more people, she could almost hear their heartbeats, sense their auras.   
Creatures. Vampires, Lycan, Demon.   
They were there, watching.   
She turned that focus onto Harry, her axe, once heavy in her hand, now wielded with such force, gripped tightly.   
She lunged towards him, breaking his attention off August, and matching blades with him as he panted.   
She kicked him hard on the chest, sending him flying back. He coughed, bringing up blood.   
He was haggard, and he looked up at Rosella, and she detected a trace of fear.  
Good.  
She didn’t hesitate when she brought her axe down.  
“Rosella!” She heard August call her name, but it was muffled.   
Everything in the world seemed to slow down, until it was just her and Harry.   
His body hit the ground.  
Rosella stood over it, axe in hand. She braced herself on it, her whole body trembling.   
He was the Lieutenant-General, and she had killed him.  
All of her vows, her position as a Hunter, dead along with him.  
Rosella took off her purple sash, and it fluttered to the ground, lying on top of him. It was covered in blood.  
She knew August was standing behind her, but she waited a moment longer.  
“Don’t,” She said, sensing that they were reaching for her.  
She finally turned around, tears running down her cheeks because she couldn’t help it. She hated it, she hated that she was crying. But she just couldn’t stop.  
In her peripheral vision, she could see Piper and the monstrous form of Aya lying dead. Piper was crying too.   
The people from the tree line were in sight now. Finn, Ezra, Alkar, Omen. The Clan.   
She met August’s eye.  
“What did you do?” They looked horrified at the corpse.  
“You don’t think he deserved it?” She asked, unmoving.   
August swallowed, but said nothing.  
“He was a cruel man, with a cruel heart. He brought terror and death into this town.” Rosella continued, “He had to be stopped.”  
She was Lunaris’ protector. If that meant putting down her maker, than she was willing to do it.   
“I know,” their voice was just a whisper, but they shook their head, “It didn’t have to be you.”  
“Yes, it did,” Rosella said with such conviction, unwavering, “That’s why I came here. To solve this.”  
Rosella took her hand away from her chest, and her hand came back bloodied.  
August looked down, noticing her wounds.   
“You’ve got to see a healer.”  
Rosella shook her head, “No.”  
August looked at her, aghast, “Rosella, you’re injured.”  
Rosella let out a laugh that was more like a sob, “And why would you care?”  
Their eyes flashed, “I might be angry, I might be hurt, furious, and betrayed. But I don’t want you to die.”   
Rosella glanced at Harry’s corpse.   
“You’re a kinder person than I am.” She told them.  
She looked back at them, hand tight on her axe. As she was grabbing it, she saw August tense, and sensed the gaze of many around them fall on her.   
They really thought she would kill them?  
Her gaze grew hard as she strapped the axe on her back—once a heavy weight, now light with her new strength.  
She turned around. Staring out at the woods.   
“Rosella,” she heard August say.  
She didn’t turn around, not because she couldn’t face them, but because she didn’t want them to see her crying.   
She wanted to collapse. She wanted to curl up into a ball and bawl her eyes out. She wanted the pain to stop beating through her with every passing second. She wanted the world to go back to being numb.   
Her senses had grown, everything around her magnified. It was driving her mad.  
She started walking away.  
“You can’t leave,” August told her.  
“Who’s going to stop me?” Her voice cracked with emotion, and she cursed it for betraying her distress.  
“Just come back with me. You’re severely injured and you need to see a healer.” August insisted.  
How could they still try to help her, even after she hurt them? After she had betrayed their trust, all of them.   
It would be worth it. She was stronger now, better. She could do anything.   
“Hunter, that’s an order.” Their tone turned commanding, so familiar of their Enforcer role.  
Rosella let out a strangled laugh, her voice coming out thick with her tears. She couldn’t look at them, her gaze firmly on the woods ahead.  
“I’m not a Hunter anymore.”  
She began walking again, limping as she did so.   
“Rosella.”  
She shook her head, continuing to walk. She could hear August following her.  
“Piper needs your help. Go to her. She needs you more than I do,” she said.  
August stopped as she continued to walk.  
“Why did you do this?” August asked as she continued to limp away, one hand clutching her bleeding torso, “Why would you ever drink it?”  
“I couldn’t have killed him without it,” Rosella said, eyes still straight ahead, “It was the price I had to pay for this gift. I can protect you now. All of you. Keep the creatures and monster at bay from the town.”   
“That’s the Hunter’s job.” August said, their voice growing distant as she continued moving away,  
“They can’t do it as well as I can. Not now.” She insisted.   
She couldn’t hear August anymore.

It was past midnight as she stumbled passed trees in the thickly wooded forest. Pain wracked through her body and her heart pounded in her chest.  
She didn’t know how long she had been walking, but she couldn’t go longer.  
Rosella fell to the ground, the dirt soft beneath her. She rested up against her tree, looking at the nasty wound that was caked in blood.   
And she sobbed.  
She was crying until her eyes were red and raw, not caring how loud her wailing was.   
She cried for the pain, for the loss, for the death.   
She cried until there were no more tears to be had, and she slept.

The next morning, she was surprised to wake up.  
Everything hurt. Every part of her ached. The world came into focus too quickly, everything was an assault on her senses.  
It was almost unbearable.  
She got to her feet, her wound still looking messy and horrible, and her head pounded in protest, almost toppling over again.  
But she refused to give in.   
All of this had come to this moment. She could not give up now.  
She would be Lunaris’ protector, standing vigilant over the town. Nothing would threatened it again.   
In time they would see. They would thank her for what she sacrificed. All of them, all the people she left behind, they would finally understand.   
Rosella began her patrol.

Three days she roamed the woods, staying far away from where she knew, buried under the earth, was Alkar’s home.   
Nothing slipped by her, all of her senses dialled in to any movement or auras. When doubt crept into her mind, she reminded herself that this is what she had been working for. That it all had been worth it.  
She was getting worse. She never had a moment without pain, her wound growing dark and infected.   
Only her newfound power was keeping her alive, she suspected. She was no longer human, not that she ever really was.   
She never went into town, never got to close to people. When she sensed auras that were a little too familiar, she found a way to avoid them.  
She was all alone, and she was happy. She was happy about it. She had to be. It was better off that way. She had to remind herself.   
She missed nights in the Wolf, drinking and laughing with Piper. She missed August’s office, somewhere initially intimidating that became a place of refuge. She missed Ezra’s shop and the witch’s comfort. She missed Finn and Alkar and Omen, all creatures she should not have befriended given her status and theirs, but had anyway because they were good.   
This is all for them. To keep them safe, she told herself.   
She could spare no more tears, she couldn’t let herself break down like that again.

On the fourth afternoon, she knew she was coming. She sensed her a mile off. Rosella might have given up the title of Hunter, but those instincts were still there.   
Part of her wanted to leave, to flee, but she couldn’t.   
Piper emerged from the trees.  
Her arms were crossed and her eyes dark. There was still a simmering anger to her when they locked eyes.  
She was also armed to the teeth, making no effort to hide it.  
“Come to kill me?” Rosella asked before she could stop herself.  
“You’re doing that for me,” Piper responded, glancing down and where the wound was still festering away.  
“Arrest me, then? Throwing me away in a cell?” She demanded.  
“Not me. Others though.” Piper kicked some dirt with her boot, “Surprisingly, there’s repercussions for the death of the Lieutenant-General.”   
Piper looked up at her, “They’re coming for you. The order has been given to Hunters and Enforcers to have you captured and sent away to face justice.”   
“August’s orders?” Rosella inferred.  
“I’m on August’s orders.” Piper told her, “And those were to warn you about the rest of them. They’ve given you this much time, thinking you would be gone, far away where they couldn’t find you. But they can’t stop the rest of them any longer, they out their job on the line for this.”  
“I don’t run away,” Rosella said.  
“What do you call this, then?” Piper asked, gesturing at her.   
“I’m keeping Lunaris safe. There’s no need to risk anymore lives, the town is under my protection.” She insisted.  
Piper shook her head, “You might think you’re protecting us, but they’re coming for you now. You have to leave.”   
“I made a promise. A vow—” Rosella started, but Piper cut her off.  
“Vows don’t mean much to you, do they?” She asked, her voice harsh.  
“You wouldn’t have done the same, if you were in my position? You wouldn’t have killed him?”  
Piper sighed, “I don’t know what I would’ve done.”   
“I know you. I know you would’ve.” Rosella said.  
Piper scoffed, “You do not know me. And apparently I don’t know you either.”  
She picked at the bark of the tree beside her, “I thought I did. But you changed. Or got lost along the way. Or maybe this was you all along, and I befriended a lie.”   
Rosella met Piper’s eyes again.  
“You don’t look well,” Piper pointed out, “You can’t last like this. You need to see a healer.”  
“I thought you told me to leave.”  
“I didn’t realize you would be this bad. Rosella, you’re dying.”  
“I’m fine.” Her voice came out harsh.   
“Ezra would see you. He could fix you.” Piper said, taking a step closer.  
Rosella took a step back, “Even after all I did?”  
“Even after you broke our trust? Yes.” Piper said, “But maybe, if he didn’t do it for you, he would do it for August.”  
“I can’t. I can’t go to him.” Rosella said with a sense of finality.  
She braced herself against a tree, pain still throbbing through her.   
“Why did they send you to warn me?” Rosella asked.  
“They didn’t. August was going to go see you themselves, but I wanted to go instead.” Piper told her.   
“But why?”  
Piper let out a laugh that was lacking humour, “It wasn’t for you. At least, it wasn’t for whatever you are now. It was for the woman that I…that we thought we could trust once, that we befriended and cared for. It’s for her.”   
Piper took a breath, and made hard eye contact.  
“So go. Leave. And never set foot here again. You might have brought that man to a justice he deserves, but there’s not much we can fix now. The Hunters are coming for you, and soon. If you want to escape whatever punishment they have for you, then you have to get out of here.”  
“I wanted—”  
Piper cut her off again, “I don’t care what you wanted. What you thought, whatever delusional ideas were in your head. I don’t care. You might want to be Lunaris’ protector, but Lunaris doesn’t want you. Rosella, you need to go.”  
Piper’s eyes were hard, her posture tall. And Rosella knew there was going back, not now.  
Rosella turned, her shoulders slumped.   
“I’m sorry.”   
Her voice came out in a small croak, heavy with emotion as she started to tear up again.   
“I just wanted to make things better. I never wanted to hurt you or August, or anyone. I didn’t even want to kill Harry, but once I transformed I felt like I had no choice.”  
“But you made your choices. It doesn’t matter what you wanted, it’s about what you did.” Piper’s voice came out calm, and that’s how Rosella knew she had lost her.  
“I’m sorry.” She said again.  
“If you truly are, then you’ll leave. You will leave, and you will live.” Piper told her.   
Rosella began walking away.  
Piper didn’t follow.

Rosella knee she didn’t have much time left. Her pace has slowed, and with each step she felt herself getting weaker. The injuries she had sustained were catching up with her, and she nothing more than a wounded animal making her way through the forest.   
As the sun began to set, she collapsed to the ground, unable to walk even a foot longer.   
Was it worth it? Everything she had, to just wind up here—lying in the dirt as her body gave out.  
She let out a hysterical laugh that had no humour behind it.  
It hadn’t been worth it.  
She didn’t know what would happen first, if her body would finally rest, or the Hunters would find her and lock her away in the dungeons before she faced whatever punishment was in store for her.  
Tears trailed down her cheeks as the sun dipped below the horizon.   
Regret and guilt washed over her. She had thrown everything away and for what? For her fate to lead her here?   
Rosella closed her eyes.


End file.
